This book is truly incredible. I have come to completely understand why it is regarded as a classic. Hemingway is an absolute masterful writer. There are so many aspects of this novel that one can absolutely love.

Hemingway描绘风景和场景就像一个画家。每个场景都被如此美丽而细致地描述，唤起了如此多的细节。其中所包含的幽默和机智让我大声笑出来。他如此清晰地刻画并赋予小说中人物各种特点。你能感受到他们的个性，并像他在创造他们时一定感受到的那样去喜爱他们。他们是如此生动和充满活力！他们有着我们通常会根据他们的国籍来想象的特点和个性。战争从任何角度看都被视为一种绝对的荒谬，但他并没有过度强调这一点。这本书还有很多其他的层次。是的，战争是荒谬的。整个战争的努力都是荒谬的。谁会赢？最后明白这一点的国家。而爱情故事……简直让人着迷！！！它一开始是如此疯狂，如此真实，如此温柔……又如此悲惨。它绝对是我一直以来最喜欢的文学爱情故事之一。

这部虚构小说是以第一人称讲述的。弗雷德里克·亨利是一名在罗马学习建筑的美国人，第一次世界大战爆发时。他在甚至美国还未参战之前就应征加入了意大利军队，成为了一名救护车司机。这与海明威的生活相似，因为他在多年前美国参战之前也自愿成为了意大利军队的一名救护车司机。在小说中，亨利中尉与意大利外科医生里纳尔迪和一位无名牧师建立了亲密的友谊。正是通过里纳尔迪，亨利遇到了凯瑟琳·巴克利，并爱上了她。战争在奥地利和德国之间进行着。小说开头意大利军队的军官们似乎在享受美酒和妓院。亨利甚至在因膝盖受伤长期住院期间患上了黄疸。是酒精性肝炎吗？有可能。然而，随着战争的进行，士兵们变得士气低落。没有足够的食物。他们无法保持干燥。他们甚至可能被自己的军队射杀。在德国对卡波雷托的进攻中，亨利中尉必须带领他的士兵远离危险。如果你还没有读过这本小说并且打算读，我就不再多说了……因为我不想破坏任何人对这本小说的阅读体验。

我听了约翰·斯拉特里朗读的有声版本，我强烈推荐。我知道在这本小说最初出版之前，脏话被删除了。然而，在这个音频版本中，似乎有一些脏话应该在的地方有空白。我本想收听或阅读未编辑的版本。这是一本多么令人惊叹的书啊，它详细描述了历史上一个非常重要的时刻，以及一个令人难以置信的爱情故事。

这本书是作为Book Riot阅读挑战的一部分来读的，它是一本在美国被禁止或经常受到挑战的书。它经常被挑战为“色情小说”，并且因为“书中的语言和性描写”。这本书在1929年至1948年期间在意大利被法西斯政权禁止，部分原因是它对卡波雷托撤退的描述，部分原因是它的反军国主义。当时它在波士顿也被禁止。1933年，纳粹在德国焚烧了这本书，因为他们觉得它是反战的，而他们当时正试图煽动支持。它在1939年在爱尔兰也被禁止。

This work was arguably my "gateway classic" - the one that started my love for the entire genre.

I read it almost five years ago, and although I remember that impactful ending, I had quite forgotten the true artistry of Hemingway's prose.

Having now reread it, it's no wonder that this is one of his more famous works. Each and every page is ripe with his distinct and memorable style.

The story itself is about a man who is simply trying his best to adapt to the circumstances that keep throwing at him. At times, it is funny, romantic, and uniquely tragic.

It is a timeless work that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an enthralling and mindset-altering read.

Hemingway's writing is so powerful that it can transport you to another world and make you feel as if you are right there with the characters.

The way he describes the settings, the emotions, and the actions is truly masterful.

Whether you are a fan of classic literature or just looking for a great story, this work is definitely worth your time.

It will leave you with a lasting impression and a newfound appreciation for the art of writing.

One.

When I was reading this book, I had conflicting emotions. Sometimes it would inspire me, and sometimes I really couldn't put the book down. The narrator of the story constantly escapes from the war and its hardships to a relationship of love and a drink of refuge. This assault of conflicting emotions on the reader is due to this dual nature of the peace of love and the frenzy of war. Dualities that are colorful: friendship and war. Reality and imagination. Freedom and captivity. And finally, the main duality: the will attached to life and the assault of death.

Two.

The story of the book is very close to the situation we are in today. The chaos of the corona. Outside the house, there is a huge chaos, and it seems that nothing is going right for the people of the world. At any moment, a sudden death may come to you and leave your time in the world unfinished. From this chaos, from this powerlessness, we have all retreated to seclusion and hope that the situation will end soon. But very often, the situation and chaos do not end for us. A stillborn child is born, a dear one is lost, a love remains unfulfilled, and a wound is engraved on your face that will always remain in memory, and the situation for you is no longer in seclusion or on the ordinary street. The chaos becomes a dictator in your existence forever.

Three.

War and everything that affects people's lives in a certain period may start on one day and stop on another day from a historical perspective. But it never ends completely. It finds continuity in the existence of people and their hardships forever. Forever.

Maybe... you'll fall in love with me all over again.

Hell, I said. I love you enough now. What do you want to do? Ruin me?

Yes. I want to ruin you.

Good, I said. That's what I want too.

This exchange of words seems to carry a certain intensity and mystery. It makes one wonder about the nature of their relationship. Are they in a passionate love affair where they are willing to take risks and even embrace the idea of being ruined by each other? Or is there something more complex and perhaps a bit dangerous lurking beneath the surface? The image accompanying these words adds an extra layer of intrigue. The animated gif shows a scene that might hint at the emotions and dynamics between the two characters. It makes the reader want to know more about their story and what will happen next.

An American named Frederick Henry, who is studying architecture in Rome, undergoes a transformation when World War I breaks out. He becomes a Lt. in the Italian Army. Even though America doesn't enter the Great War for another 3 years, he volunteers. Why? Perhaps he himself can't quite say, but young men often seek excitement in their otherwise dull lives. He joins the ambulance corps on the northern front, in charge of four drivers and a few motorcars. Their task is to pick up the badly wounded soldiers. When possible, the dead are carried outside the vehicles as there is no need for them inside. The Austrians are the enemy, but the high snowy mountains and freezing weather make the battles extremely difficult. The swollen rivers are dangerous to cross, the artillery flashes in the night, and the screaming mortars fly above, coming down no one knows where, except for the unfortunate victims, and it's too late for them.

Rinaldi, a very capable surgeon in the Italian army, is getting better every day. He is constantly putting back together the wounded bodies and saving lives most of the time. He is Lt. Henry's affable roommate, always joking and his best friend. They live in a good house in a mostly undamaged village near the war, for officers. Rinaldi loves women to a certain degree (lust might be the more accurate word). He has seen his latest enchanting female, but to his deep regret, there is no mutual feeling between them. The gracious doctor tells the lieutenant about the beautiful blonde, tall British nurse, Catherine Barkley, and even introduces him. It doesn't take long for a romance to blossom. She lost her fiancee in France in 1916, in the trenches. At first, she, and then he too, falls in love, not wanting or expecting it. Her best friend and fellow nurse, Helen Ferguson, disapproves. Lonely people amid a terrible conflict somehow require something to continue their joyless existence.

Shortly after, while waiting in a ditch at the front for the bombardment to stop, a mortar shell hits. It kills one of his men and badly wounds him in both legs. This time, the ambulance will take the driver for a ride not in the front but in the back. The young American feels a warm liquid dropping from the top. The blood oozing out of another soldier will not stop. Henry can't move, he can only endure until there is no more. The vehicle stops traveling as heavy rains pour down. The dead man is put on the muddy ground, and another victim is carried inside. They finally arrive at the unsanitary field hospital, having safely navigated the treacherous mountain roads and bombs. Catherine becomes the Lt.'s nurse and much more. Since Milan is not far away and an American hospital has just opened (this is 1917), it is a better place for treatment. Catherine gets assigned there, and she says mysteriously that it is never a difficulty. But the recovered Mr. Henry must go back to the front when he is healed, and their happiness is over. This novel is based on Hemingway's experiences in the war. He was a 19-year-old ambulance driver, almost dying of battle wounds and having an unhappy affair with an older nurse.

I read the book about two years ago. I got to know the zenith of Hemingway's art through this book. But I never had the opportunity or the courage to write my thoughts about it.

The farewell with the rifle, as perhaps we all expect, is not quick and warm. It is cold because the main character seems to have been petrified under the influence of war. As if the war has deprived him. In general, the characters lack inner depth. Hemingway, like Dostoyevsky and Steinbeck, does not lay out the characters' thoughts on a platter. The reader has a sense of alienation that the story is set in a physical space and we only see the image. The actions, reactions, and of course the dialogues are not very philosophical and greater than the characters' mouths. The reader is in search of hearing the heart's words of the character. But in the end, we see that behind each silence or unrelated word, there is a hidden feeling and a heart's word. There is no need to listen.

This goes back to Hemingway's profession as a war correspondent. Some parts of the story of this novel are also said to be a sample of Hemingway's own life.

However, despite this reporting style, the actions and dialogues are so emotionally conveyed that sometimes one feels hatred. From those heavy hatreds.

The expression of emotions throughout the book is cold, but the decisions and actions are so deep that one can draw out thousands of unspoken words from the lips of that character.

I admit that the space of the story is a bit masculine and the actions of the characters are also like that. Perhaps some readers' style is to read or hear everything that happens in the character's mind. But I am a reader of the stony-hearted character of Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms".

The last scene of the book (the last three or four pages) is one of the most tragic scenes that I remember. Such deep and influential actions can only be found in the world of Hemingway's words.

Note: The beautiful and faithful translation by Najaf Daryabandari is also worthy of attention.

I just completed reading it, and I'm truly disappointed.

Not only that, but it also bothers me deeply. Given that I've read a significant amount of Hemingway's other works, I suppose I shouldn't be overly surprised by his one-dimensional and sexist portrayal of Catherine Barkley. However, somehow, I still am.

Simply put, Catherine is a rather ridiculous figure, and it's not her fault. Hemingway offers her no chance to come across as anything more than a half-crazy, desperate, and fawning caricature, lacking any real desires or opinions of her own.

How many times must I endure lines like, "I'll say just what you wish and I'll do what you wish and then you will never want any other girls, will you?" emerging from her lips?

Does Hemingway truly believe that women think and speak in such a manner, or does he intend to make his female characters sound like would-be wife-pets?

(I just came across a review below that describes Henry and Catherine's dialogue as 'incantations,' suggesting that the two, especially Catherine, are attempting to will themselves to be happy despite an overwhelming sense of despair. It's an interesting perspective, and it definitely makes reading the scenes with the two of them more bearable. But as much as I'd like to think that was Hemingway's intention, I'm not so sure...)

Regarding the rest of the book, I suppose one could argue for its "ground-breaking" sexual frankness or the necessary graphic depictions of the front, and I'm willing to concede that. After all, there are several great moments.

Still, it's difficult to accept the canonization of this book as THE central WWI novel while ignoring the fact that one of its main characters is very poorly written, perhaps intentionally so.

In my opinion, awarding 3 stars is more than what this work truly merits.

The characters are extremely unrealistic, lacking any connection to their past. Their actions seem artificial and contrived.

The romantic dialogues, with all due respect, are truly terrible.

I should note that I am aware the writer may have done some of this deliberately. Hemingway attempts to show how war has transformed people into indifferent and purposeless individuals who are weary of war, and in everything they do, the only goal is to forget the war. I understand this and I admire his intention.

However, the book fails to achieve its objective.

If you are familiar with the atmosphere of World War I, perhaps you will feel more empathy for Fredric, Rinaldi, Catherine, and Priest. Otherwise, it lacks all the elements necessary to engage you.

And ultimately, the ending was disappointing. Maybe Hemingway believed that a bitter ending would make the story linger more effectively in people's minds.

Overall, while there are some aspects of the book that are admirable, it falls short in many other areas.

The first time I read this, it was two years ago. I remember liking the straightforward and emotionless text, but in my review, I wrote that if I didn't read the detailed explanations, themes, and motifs of the story after each chapter, and if it didn't allow me, as an ordinary reader, to understand the meaning and purpose of each part of the story, I would see it as a dirty, ugly thing and wouldn't go back to it. But when I read all the explanations carefully and patiently, I established a great connection with it and it became the first and not the last Steinbeck of my life.

This was the second Steinbeck of my life, and just like the previous one, I needed to read the explanations word by word, not very complicated and difficult interpretations now, just enough to remind me that this part is referring to such and such a thing, and this artistic movement shows that his character is such and such...
There are many negative reviews for this book, and most of the Persian reviews written here are also negative... But I can't see myself saying anything other than its wisdom and depth for a thousand years.
It's one of those books that I can't talk about, everything about it is far from me and my world, and yet everything about it is written in such a way that I felt and understood it.
The main reasons this book is getting heat are: 1. It's about war, but no one is heroic and tough. 2. It's about love, but with the wettest and most superficial dialogues. 3. Everyone is always busy drinking and getting drunk and being drunk.
Using what I read and to the extent that I understood, I'm presenting my defense here, mostly for my own reminder in the future:
One: "War means heroism and sacrifice." We all know that enough has been written about heroic soldiers and we don't lack the story of "manliness in the battlefield." Steinbeck, by writing a novel about war, definitely doesn't intend to add another one of those books to the world, and his message is very clear and obvious: People are afraid and are more attached to life, desires, and most importantly, their own lives than to ideas like "from oneself, the past, and sacrifice." These ideas, although valuable and good, are not the real picture. This book doesn't glorify war, doesn't glorify the soldiers of war, it only points to their humanity and the atrocity of war. To say that war makes men heroic and brave, to beautifully present war, and Steinbeck doesn't want to present war as beautiful and emotional. War is atrocious and people are afraid of it and it's crazy, even if they're in the middle of it.
Two: "A good love is not a wet one." But who are we to have an opinion about the relationship between two people whose souls and emotions are on fire in war? The love relationship in this story was not logical and complete in any way. The point is also that in war, you can't talk about logic and reason. The outside world is so bad and terrifying that Henry and Catherine "pretend" to be in love only to reduce their pain a little. They see so much blood and death that even the joy of a crazy love brings them peace. Just like when children are very afraid of something but since they know there is no escape from it (for example, the prayer of their father and mother), they just laugh and pretend to be happy... And the story starts with this kind of love as a distraction and takes shape as their relationship progresses and in the end, it's not wet anymore.
Three: "War is not a place for happiness, drinking, and womanizing. Everyone is sad, tired, and helpless." Yes, they don't write because they are happy, they write to escape. One of the main motifs of the story is the characters' escape from war, each in their own way. One hits his head somewhere until his skull fractures and he is considered wounded and can escape. One writes to escape. One hides in brothels to escape. One gets involved in a relationship that he knows will hurt him to feel the pain of something other than war. All of these are in the process of escaping from the presence in war. Again, emphasizing that war is not a heroic and artistic thing. More than making a character grow, it causes deep emotional pain and unheroic escapes.
It's one of those kinds of books that need to be "studied" to be "read"... and I never have the patience and courage for this, but when I do, it gives me a great sense of satisfaction :)
Oh, about the translation of Nazy Azima, to the extent that I looked at it, it was close to the original text. It had a few mistakes and censorship, but it was readable and the censorships were guessable.
That website that had the explanations: Sparknotes.com

I finally managed to read something more from Hemingway apart from that blasted fish book! For some inexplicable reason, I was braced for boredom and/or irritation. However, aside from some cheesy period dialogue and a rather submissive leading lady, I discovered this work to be cynical, suspenseful, and deeply poignant. Just like in war, there can be no joyous conclusions in life. The catastrophic downfall that I sensed was impending for these individuals from very early on in the novel arrived swiftly and forcefully, and it truly affected me. In the end, I felt as empty as the aftermath of a battle.

That was precisely what you did. You died. You had no comprehension of what it was all about. You never had the opportunity to learn. They thrust you in and informed you of the rules, and the very first time they caught you off guard, they killed you.

This story really made me think about the harsh realities of life and how quickly things can change. Hemingway's writing style, although at times a bit dated, still has the power to draw you in and make you feel the emotions of the characters. I'm glad I gave this book a chance and look forward to exploring more of his works in the future.

In the fall of that year, we rented a charming house in the mountains.

From there, we could look down across the river and see the village below. The water of the river was a beautiful turquoise color, and the village had a lovely campanile. Beyond the village, more mountains rose up, and beyond those, still more.

The man who owned our cottage lived next door and made his own delicious dry cured sausage. We would often go around and eat it by the fire, chatting about how wonderful it tasted.

On the hills all around, there were deer. In the evenings, we would sit on the balcony of our cottage, wrapped in blankets against the cold. If we looked one way, we could see the deer, and if we looked the other way, we could see the village at the bottom of the valley.

The village was called Kobarid, but it also had names in other languages. The Germans called it Karfreit, and the Italians called it Caporetto. I said to Hannah that it was never a good sign when so many other languages had names for one little village.

Sure enough, we found a museum in the village dedicated to a big battle that had taken place there during the First World War. The people at the museum pointed at the mountain slopes, and although I don't remember exactly what they told us, I remember feeling sick and upset. I thought that I should know more about what had happened there and why.

The Italian army had used a lot of ambulances during that war, and one of the men who drove the ambulances at Kobarid was an American called Ernest Hemingway. Later, he wrote a book about it, and this is that book.

The war parts of the book are very good, but gradually they fade into the background, and a tragic love story comes to the forefront. The tragic love story is difficult to enjoy because the woman is so old-fashionedly self-effacing and devoted to the hero that she seems either unrealistic or infuriating to modern readers.

The prose is direct and world-weary, and often it sounds fine, ironic, and cynical, like the quote: "If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry."

But often it just seems needlessly pessimistic, especially in the way the book ends. When we went to Kobarid, we were very happy. I remember the place clearly because it was on the porch of our cottage there that I asked Hannah to marry me. She said yes, and our memories of that mountain and that village are very happy ones. This book does not end in the same way. Although it is strong and powerful, I really wish someone had told me that I should not be reading this ending while my wife is nine months' pregnant.

(Dec 2013)

In the Name of Him

Few writers like Hemingway can be found who have had such a rich life experience and all these experiences are reflected in his works. Travel, war, sports, hunting, love, and so on. Truly, from this perspective, Hemingway is unique.

"A Farewell to Arms" is also one of Hemingway's very beautiful novels, which is the result of these experiences. War, love, in other words, a love in war.

One of the challenges for me in reading novels is that in some cases, at the end of the novels, it is forgotten. This, besides my not very strong memory, may have other reasons. But what I want to say here is that I will never forget the ending of "A Farewell to Arms", and its bitterness will remain in my heart. And it is this ending that turns "A Farewell to Arms" from a good literary work into a masterpiece.

The translation of the work is also very lovely and readable.

In short, if you want to read a romantic and affectionate novel, don't miss "A Farewell to Arms".

Hemingway's life experiences are indeed diverse and profound, which are vividly presented in his works. "A Farewell to Arms" is a prime example. The story of love and war in this novel is both touching and thought-provoking. The ending, in particular, leaves a deep impression on the reader. It not only shows the cruelty of war but also the power of love. The translation of the work also plays an important role in making it more accessible and enjoyable for readers. Overall, "A Farewell to Arms" is a must-read for anyone who loves literature and wants to experience the beauty and tragedy of life.